The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-22
ARBITRATION THE MEANS
THE GRIEVANCES OF THE s., F, AND
w. ENGINEERS TO BE SETTLED.


the Savannah, Florida and Western and the
officers of the road, will probably be settled
this morning when Chief Engineer p. M.
Arthur, and Superintendent Fleming will
meet and discuss the differences. The main
question involved is one of salary. The
engineers on the Savannah, Florida and
Western are graded not only accorning to
their work, but according to the number OF
wears they have been with the road.
What the brotherhood desires to abolish
is the grading according to the term of SER
vice principally, and secondarily it wishes
to effect an increase of SOC. day in the
wages of the men. The railroad officials
say that they have and are doing all they
can for their men; that they show them the
greatest consideration possible and en-
deavor to aid them in every way
that they can They do not permit
the head of department to
discharge a man for some alleged violation
of the rules, but require that he shall be
given a hearing, court-martial, as IT
were, and if he is found guilty he is fined.
and it requires five fines within one year to
cause mans discharge. They consider it
a serious thing to deprive a man of his
livelihood, and therefore throw every safe
guard around a man that they can to pre-
vent an arbitrary dismissal of men whether
the cause would justify it or not
TIE FINES NOT HEAVY.
The fines which they impose do not go
into the treasury of the company but into
the treasury of an association whose pur-
pose is to give relief to those who are sick
and bury those who die The men pay
regular dues into this association, but those
dues will not pay its expenses, and the asso-
citation would not be able to meet its de-
lnands if it were not that the company
places into its treasury all fines imposed
and gives to its men a train on every
branch of the line for excursions
once a year. The fines, and picnic
trains amount to from 81 300 to S., 1000 per
annum, aud that sum has not only enabled
the association to meet its demands, but
also to accumulate quite a sum with which
TO meet emergencies This surplus is grow
ing so large that a sinking fund will proba
bly, be created son |, AMI thus sufficient
money will be passed % thS credit of the
association to more Il, II make up for any
slight difference in salaries. In addition to
that, one of the officers of the company was
sent North last simmer, at the expense of
the company to consult with insurance ex-
perts and devise plan for insuring all the
employees of the company. When he re-
turned he reported plan, and it was at first
proposed to permit those employees who
favored it TO join, but after carefully con-
sidering it, it was found that it would not
be a success unless a large number of the
employees became members, and the officers
of the line, therefore, determined that they
would propose the plan to the employees upon
the basis OF compelling every man who
should become an employee of the line after
a certain date to become member The
proposition was made, but instead of being
accepted the employees vigorously protested
az inst its adoption, and so the matter was
dropped These facts are cited by the rail
road officials to show that they have not
been negligent or forgetful of the interests
of their employees.
THE WAGE QUESTION.
As to the wages they admit that there is
a slight difference between those paved by
the Central and the Savannah, Florida and
Western, but they say that is due to the
difference in the earnings of the roads The
Florida roads pay less than the Savannah,
Florida and Western, and it is because the
travel is less. The difference in the amount
of business is greater than the difference in
wages and the amount paid to their
engineers is therefore fair. The engineers
are taken on the Savannah, Florida and
Western at the lowest wages, which are
81 so a day. They work ON switch engines,
and when they are put on roadway engines,
drawing construction trains, there is an in
crease. From the construction train they
are promoted to a freight or passenger en-
gine and again increased, but they must
work four years on the line and prove them
selves capable before they the receive highest
pay, which is IS 20 per day, and if they
work on the road for four years and do not
prove themselves first class men they viii
not receive that pay.
Chief Engineer Arthur was seen last
night and asked his views on the situation.
He said that he could only give them on
general principles. The engineers on the
Central receive 81 a day. and he could not
see why the engineers of the Savannah,
Florida and Western, who do the same
work, should not receive similar amount.
The engineers on that line make about 10
miles day. and the highest salary, IS. 20
per day, only amounts to about LIE per
mile, while the Louisville and Nashville and
the Mobile and Ohio pay 4c. for freight en-
gineers and &c. for passenger, and the At
lantic Coast Line pays 4c for freight and
2.60c. for passenger, and this line operates
in connection with the Savannah Florida
and Western.
THE DIFFERENCE IN PAY.
MIR. Arthur said that he had noticed that
the Central and the Savannah, Florida and
Western had made reciprocal agreement
as to business, and he did not see why they
could not do the same as to wages, but upon
a purely business basis he did not see
WY man WIZ WAC pun OH Il llISU CLASS
run could not be paid first class wages
If an accident should occur, the road
would not go into court and plead that he
was not first class man; il would bring in
every bit OF evidence to prove that he was
yet on the pay rolls, it will not recognize
him as such. He did not object to paying
lower wages of the engineers ON the switch
and roadway engines, but he thought when
a man was put on a first class run he
ought TO receive first class wages. The
grading system would not be so bad if the
men were promoted from firemen to en-
gineers, but most of the firemen are colored
men who will not be put at the throttle, and
the road draws its supply of engineers from
the outside, and will not, as matter of fact
accept any man who is not first-class man
and entitled to first-class wages
Mr.. Arthur is an exceedingly conservative
man, and is the head of the most conserva-
tive labor organization in the country. The
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers has
never been accused of making unreasonable
requests of the companies, and what is asked
is generally what is deserved. Mr. Arthur
says that the policy of the brotherhood is
to try and raise the standard of wages to
fair and equitable basis. and il makes g
point to do that whenever it gets sufficient
number of members Oh any road that is moi
paying what is considered Just
Superior Court Cases.